by VSP MediaBARBERVILLE, FL- Volusia Speedway Park goes “Back to School” this Saturday night as area kids get ready to return to their classrooms after their summer break, but before that happens they will get one last blast of summer fun with kids’ bike races on the frontstretch of the south’s fastest half mile. And while the kids will fulfill their need for speed at intermission, race fans will see exciting action from the Budweiser Modifieds as they tangle in a $1000 to win challenge race. Other action will be provided by the Daytona Dodge Chrysler Jeep Late Models, the Taylor Racing Products Sportsman Division, the Amsoil Thunder Stocks, and the 4 Cylinder Challengers.
Fans can do something positive for their community and save some money in the process this Saturday, as Volusia Speedway Park will give a $2 discount on grandstand admission to any fans who donate school supplies. VSP employees will collect the donated items and will pass them along to be distributed to underprivileged kids at Manatee Elementary School in Orange City. Fans can donate anything from back packs to pens, pencils, paper, notebooks, folders, and more. Volusia Speedway’s racers are also encouraged to donate and participate in the effort.
Jamie Carter has got a solid lock on the points lead as the Budweiser Modifieds return to action on Saturday night, but with a $1000 to win cash carrot dangling in front of the competitors, Carter could be in for some tough competition in this race. Missing a Budweiser Modified feature earlier this summer has left Jeff Mathews trailing Carter by 135 points, but Mathews is capable of beating anyone on any night, especially when there is extra cash involved. Kent Corbin and Larry Burkins have both posted some solid performances lately, and could be ready to ascend to a win as well.
After leading the points chase for the first half of this racing season, David Clegg has been in catch up mode ever since an accident earlier this year forced him into a backup machine. Joe Kump will be on top of the points heap when the Daytona Dodge Chrysler Late Models hit the track this Saturday night, but David Clegg is still just 59 points out and has his backup car performing like a champ. Meanwhile Donnie Chappell has been clawing his way up the ladder toward the points leaders and is posting some very impressive finishes. Chappell is only 7 points shy of knocking Clegg down to third place in the points standings, and is just 66 points out of first place. Should Kump or Clegg have a bad night, Chappell will be poised to take full advantage of their misfortune.
The Taylor Racing Products Sportsman Division is still dominated by Aaron Barsness, who holds the points lead and is tough to beat in each feature race. But after losing the points lead to Barsness earlier in the summer, Shaun Daugharty is on a mission to recover what he lost, and take no prisoners in the process. Unfortunately for Daugharty, that mission had a setback the last time out, but persistence will be the key to Daugharty’s success in chasing down Barsness before the season ends. The $1000 to win race that was rained out last weekend will be made up on September 18th, so racers and fans should be sure to mark that date on their calendars.
While Scott Mooers may be dominating the points standings, he is not dominating the Amsoil Thunder Stocks when they hit the clay each Saturday night. The guy winning the races has been Chad Scranton, whose rivalry with Mooers has kept the fans attention for a couple of months now. But Scranton is certainly not unbeatable as Philip Brown demonstrated while behind the wheel of David Whitt’s machine, and Luke Sadler has put together some solid outings as of late and may be ready to second the motion put forth by Brown. Mooers may be too far out of reach for Sadler to catch him, but Scranton has the same problem with Sadler. The huge gaps in the points standings give drivers like Sadler and Scranton a “nothing to lose” situation, and that feeds their desire to keep Mooers behind them in each week’s races.
Volusia’s 4 Cylinder Challenger points battle is led by Casey Feaster, who has had a fast car all season, but has also had problems that have held him back and made his trek to the top that much harder. Feaster holds an 111 point advantage over Tony Laporta, who has done the math and knows what he has to do in order to take the points championship trophy away from Feaster. But after a rainout last weekend, Laporta now has one less race in which to make his math add up, and Feaster has found new determination and focus in recent weeks. Meanwhile others like James Sullivan and Larry Langston have come on strong at this point in the season, and are a threat to beat both Feaster and Laporta to the checkers.
The grandstand gate will open at 5:30 this Saturday night, and fans are reminded to bring their school supply donations for a $2 discount. And as weather and other factors come into play, fans should refer to www.VolusiaSpeedwayPark.net for up to date schedule information, plus news and announcements about make up dates and times for events postponed by rain.